Storytelling to Inform, Inspire, and Incite

Our degree is the only undergraduate program in the country that emphasizes theory and application, production and liberal arts.

The documentary is a creative way of exploring our world. It’s hands-on storytelling that entertains audiences while advancing their understanding. Documentary producers can express their passions through video, film, and photography, and they have a real opportunity to change the world for the better.

The Park School at Ithaca College offers a unique program designed specifically for undergraduates.

In your very first semester, you will take 12 communications credits in the Park School so that you are fully immersed in your major. Courses include: Introduction to Film Aesthetics and Analysis, Cinema Production 1, Introduction to Journalism, and S’Park!: Igniting Your Future in Communications.

Our faculty includes authoritative scholars and award-winning documentary makers with extensive experience in the field. Your training will enable you to develop practical skills, and you can take advantage of opportunities within the Park School to build your resume and portfolio with documentary films, trailers, and impressive proposal books.

Students Produce Award-Winning Documentaries

Class projects in documentary studies get more than grades -- they get national audiences and awards. Our students have access to travel funds and equipment to produce professional-quality work that covers important societal issues.

Check out the background story on Out Of The Pills, a documentary on the opioid crisis in West Virginia, which was one of the finalists for the 39th College Television Awards in 2019.

Our student teams work closely on projects and often continue to work together, forming their own production companies. 3 Point Productions is a group of 6 alumni whose Documentary Workshop project, Walk on the Mountain, highlighted the environmental and economic distress in the coal fields of West Virginia as seen through the lens of anti-coal activist Junior Walk.

Named One of the Top Ten Short Films by Nationals Geographic: Being Hear

Where Are Our Alumni?

Our students are well-prepared to assume roles in news organizations, production houses, and to function as independent documentarians. Many of them secure prestigious fellowships from organizations such as the Sundance Festival and the Jacob Burns Film Center.